Electric-clock system



(No Model.) 3 Sheets--Sheet 1.

T. J. ZOELLER.

ELEGTRIGGLOOK SYSTEM.

Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

.( No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

T. J. ZOELLER.

ELEGTRIO CLOCK SYSTEM. No; 357,885. Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

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(No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet s, T. J. ZOELLER.

ELECTRIC OLOGK SYSTEM. NO. 357,885. Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

lzflenib) UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THEODORE J. ZOELLER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

ELECTRIC-CLOCK SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,885, dated February 15, 1887.

Application filed September 30, 1886. Serial No. 214,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, THEODORE J. ZOELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Clock Systems, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

This invention relates, primarily,to electric clock or time-telegraph systemsthatis to say, systems in which a number of electrically operated or controlled clocks or other analogous devices are included in one or more electric circuits emanating from a central or controlling office or station.

The invention, as will more fully hereinafter appear, is applicable to systems of this kind which work with round wire or metallic circuits; and it consists in the combination,with the circuit, of automatically-operating devices which, for convenience, I designate groundswitches. The purpose of these devices is to provideagainst the contingency of a break or a serious interruption of any kind in the circuit orline, th'efunction of the same being to maintain thelinein an operative condition notwith standing the occurrence of such a break.

The principle upon which the invention operates is to establish a new path for the current which operates the clocks around any break which may occur in the line. This is done in the following manner: Each clock is accompanied by a ground-switch, by means of which therejs normally, or when no current is passing, a ground-connection of high resist- .of impelling or actuating are clocks.

ance maintained. The line will therefore have as many grounds as there are clocks until a current impulse is sent to line with the object The ef fect of this current is' to instantly open the ground or earth connections along the whole line through the instrumentality of small relays in shunts around the clocks. So long as no break occurs the operation of the clocks is not sensibly affected in any way by the existence of these automatically-opened groundconnections. On the other hand, should a break or anything amounting to a break occur in the line, the switches on each side of the break maintain their ground-connections, and,

furthermore, operate to reduce the resistance of such connections, thereby affording a path for the current through the ground around the break. In this way the operation of the clocks, except in one intermediately adjacent to the break, is not interfered with. This principle of operation, together with the best means of which I am at present aware for carrying the same into effect, I shall now describe in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the groundswitches above referred to. gram illustrating the system to which the same is or may be applied. Fig. 8 is a plan View of the apparatus, showing diagrammatically the circuit-connections. Fig. 4 is a modification of the switch.

Let A A, Fig. 2, represent the circuit or line of conductors to and from a given central office, containing at various points a number of electric clocks, B B, &c. The arrangement of this circuit is the ordinary one, the clocks or their actuating-magnets being connected therewith in series.

A shunt-circuit, as O, is formed around each clock, and in such shunts are placed one of the ground-switches, hereinafter described. A ground or earth connection is made from each switch by the wires D D. The switches are alike in all particulars. The mechanism is preferably mounted on a wooden base, a, which is placed in a convenient position in the vicinity ofa clock. The binding-posts O D form the terminals by means of which the instrument is connected up in the shunt, and E is the binding-post from which the ground-wire D is led. Secured to the base a. is a small highresistance magnet, G, provided with an armature, G, pivoted to a soft-iron arm extending from the rear of the pole of the magnet.- The arm G carries a contact-point arranged to encounter a back-stop, o, and is retracted by a light spiral spring, 8, secured to a stud, T. There is also secured to the base a magnet having two cores, one, as K, being wound with wire of low resistance, the other, as H, being wound with finer wire, so as to offer a very much higher resistance.

N is a brass or conducting arm secured to but insulated from the heel-piece, and supporting stud M of the magnet H K by means of the insulating-washers f. This arm extends Fig. 2 is a diaover to the poles of the magnet, and an arma ture, P, facing the poles of the magnet, is pivoted to it. Said armature carries a contactpoint, w, which is insulated from the armature, and which is adapted to abut against an opposing stop, 12. The armatureP is retracted by alight coiled spring, 8, secured to stud T. It is also provided on its side nearest the magnet with a platinized surface opposite to a platinum contact-point, R, set in the pole H of the magnet.

The following circuit-connections are made: From post 0 wire 0, divided and connected to the coils on G .and H. The opposite end of coil on G is continuedin wire I) to stud T. The opposite end of coil on H is continued by wire 6 to back-stop 1). Stud T and postE are connected by wire 7.. Stop o is connected to post D by wire (2, which is divided and passes around core K by wire Z, which terminates in stud M. Iost E is connected to the arm N by wire L.

There are really two modes of operation of this apparatus-the first that which occurs when there is no interruption in the line; the second that which results from a break in the line. The first is as follows: At stated intervals of time a current is sent over the line to actuate the clocks. This current or current impulse divides at each clock through the two paths provided for it, the distribution being, in accordance with the well-known law, inversely as the resistance of the paths. While,

therefore, a portion passes through the clockmagnet a part enters at post 0. Here the path for the current again divides through the two series of conducting parts, viz: O, c, G, b, T, s, w, o, d, D, to line, and O, c, a, H,"e, o, z, s, T, k, E, to earth. The resistances of these circuits are so proportioned that the amount of current in the last-named path under normal conditions would be inappreciable; but the current in magnet G in the first path will be sufficient to instantly open the circuit through magnetH to ground-that is to say, the second path-by drawing up the armature G and separating the contacts 22 and 2. On the other hand, should a break occur at any point in the line-as, for instance, if the wire between two clocks should be brokenthe following operation would result from the presence of a current impulse on the line: The current, finding no passage over the line beyond the clock adjacent to the break, flows down through the various conductors O, c, a, H, e,o, z, s, T, 7., E, to ground. It is obvious that this path is not interrupted now by magnet G, owing to the interruption in its circuit. The amount of current that thus passes to ground is sufficient to attract the armature P over against the poles of the magnet H K. When contact is established between the armature P and the contact-stop It, two paths are established to the groundone from 0 through c, a, H, e, 'o, z, s, T, k, to E, the other around through the clock to D, and thence through d K Z M, the iron pole of H B,

to N and I1, and so to E. This latter path is of low resistance, and the main part of the current finds its way over it to ground, and so to the line beyond the break. The current jumps the break, so to speak, primarily, by following the ground-connections on each side of it. I have spoken of the current as having a definite direction,for convenience; but it is evident that whatever may be the direction of current the result is the same.

In the case of the switch, on what may be termed the negative side of the break, the current may be considered as entering from the ground to E, and thence passing through 70, T, s, z, o, e, H, a, c, to C, and thence through the clock to line. This operates to close the ground-path of low resistance through E L N R, theiron pole of H, M, Z, to D, so that while a path is atforded for the current it will be shunted around the clock on the negative side of the break, but caused to operate all of the others. i

As a fair example of the relative resistances that should be used, I will suppose a circuit containing from ten to twenty clocks, each having a resistance in their magnets, &c., of about ten ohms. In this case the coil on core H should have a resistance of about one hundred ohms or more,while the coil on K should be very low-say only two ohms. The magnet G should have a resistance of about forty ohms. If it is so desired, the instrument may be made more sensitive in the way shown in Fig. 4-that is to say, the resistance of the coil of G may be divided in such a way that at the beginning of the flow of current it receives a greater proportion of the current. To effect this a second contact, z, is placed upon the armature G in conjunction with a back stop, 12, which is connected with the wire I). An independent connection is made from the coil, near its beginning, by wire 0 to the point e, which latter is insulated from the armature G. Under these conditions the armature is started by the heavier current, which flows through 0, c, 0, z, o, &c., until interrupted by the forward movement of the armature.

I have now described the best form of ap paratus of which I am aware and the manner or principle of its operation. It will appear from the conditions of this case that the in-.

vention is applicable not only to clock systems but to others-tor example,such as contain district-messenger calls, fire-alarm-signal boxes, and, generally, to my system of electrical devices run in series on a complete or round-wire circuit. In using the expression ground, I do so in its broadest sense, meaning any conducting-path, natural or artificial, that fulfills the same conditions. I would also state that the ground switches are placed in shunts around the clocks or other devices, as these form the most convenient resistances; but the switches may be placed in shunts around any other resistances that will divert enough cur rent to operate them.

What I claim is- 1. The Combination, with a round-wire or metallic circuit, of electro-magnetic switches connected at intervals with the circuit and forming normally-closed connections from the circuit to the ground, but adapted to automatically open or break such connections upon the passage of a current over the line, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a round-wire or metallic circuit, of devices for utilizing the current, and electromagnetic switches connected at intervals with the circuit, the switches form- 7 ing normally-closed connections from the circuit to the ground, but adapted to automatically open or break such connections upon the passage of a current over the line, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a round-wire or metallic circuit containing electric clocks or similar devices, of electromagnetic switches in shunts to the circuit, and normally-closed connections formed through the switches from the circuit to ground, the switches being constructed in substantially the manner set forth, to automatically break or open the said ground-connections upon the passage of a current over the line, as set forth.

4. The combination, with a round-wire or metallic circuit, of electric clocks or other de- Vices included therein at difierent points, an electromagnetic switch in a shunt about each of said clocks, normally-closed connections formed through the switches from the circuit to the ground, and circuit-breakers included therein and adapted to interrupt said groundconnections upon the passage of acurrent over the line, as set forth.

5. The combination, with each one of a number of electric clocks or other resistances located at different pointsin around-wire or metallic circuit, of a constantly-closed shunt-circuit and two paths or circuits from the line to ground, one being normally closed,the other normally open, an electro-inagnet in the shunt operating to open the normally-closed ground connection upon the passage of a current over the line, and an electromagnet in the nor- 'mally closed. ground-connection operating in the occurrence of a break in the main line to close the open ground-connection, as herein set forth.

6. The combination, with each one ofa number of electric clocks or other resistances located at different points in around-wire or metallic circuit, of a constantly-closed shunt of high resistance and two paths or circuits from the line to ground, one of high resistance and normally closed, the other of low resistance and normally open, an electro-magnet in the shunt for controlling the high resistance ground-circuit, and an electro-magnet of less resistance than the shunt-magnet included in the closed ground-circuit and adapted to control the low-resistance ground-connection, in substantially the manner herein set forth.

7. The combination, with each one ofanumher of electric clocks or other resistances located at different points in a round-wire or metallic circuit, of a constantly-closed shunt of high resistance and two paths or circuits from the line to ground, one of high resistance and normally closed, the other of low resistance and normally open, an electro-magnet in the shunt for controlling the high resistance ground-circuit, a less sensitive magnet in the high-resistance ground-circuit for controlling the low-resistance ground-circuit, and an electro-magnet in the last-named circuit for maintaining the circuit after it has been closed, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A ground-switch for use in combination with electric clocks or other devices included in a series in a round-wire or metallic circuit, the same consisting of an electro-magnet in a ground-connection of high resistance, and a second ground-connection of low resistance adapted to be closed by the magnet, the magnet being so constructed or adjusted as to operate in the manner set forth only upon the occurrence of a break in the main line or circuit, as set forth.

9. In an automatic ground-switch of thekind described, the combination, with the groundcircuit-controlling devices, of an electromagnet in a shunt around a given resistance in the main line for operating the said controlling devices, the coils of the magnet being divided into sections and connected with a pivoted circuit-breaking armature adapted to increase the resistance of the magnet upon the passage of a current through it, as hereinset forth.

THEODORE J. ZOELLER.

\Vitnesses:

JAS. M. TONER, JOHN P. TONER. 

